News In Brief

By
CompiledRobert Kilborn and Lance Carden /
May 24, 1999

The names of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold were not mentioned as 437 graduates of Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., received their diplomas at ceremonies Saturday. The two gunmen also were due to graduate until they killed 13 others and, apparently, themselves April 20. The estimated 6,000 people in attendance cheered loudest for three seniors wounded in the attack.

President Clinton's efforts to press for positioning 50,000 NATO troops on the Macedonia-Kosovo border shouldn't be seen as preparation for a ground invasion, the Pentagon said. Spokesman Ken Bacon said the force, which is more than double the size originally envisioned, would be used only for peacekeeping. In an essay in The New York Times, Clinton defended NATO's airstrikes-only attacks against Yugoslavia, saying they will succeed in restoring Kosovo refugees to their homes. German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer and Secretary of State Albright are to discuss diplomatic solutions to the Kosovo crisis today, with a Fischer aide saying the role of ground troops was "not a topic."

A plan that would wall off the Social Security trust fund from use for any other purpose was unveiled by House Republicans. Rep. James Rogan (R) of California, in the weekly GOP radio address, said the plan would require a two-thirds majority of Congress for the money to be spent on "real emergencies." Republicans oppose Clinton's proposal to invest about 20 percent of the fund in the stock market.

A ban on federal funding of research on human embryos should be dropped, a Clinton-appointed ethics panel will recommend, The Washington Post reported. It said the panel had concluded that some embryo cells have the potential to grow into replacement tissues that can be used in treating diseases. Congress imposed the funding ban in 1995.

The selling price on the street for marijuana will not be taken into account in sales of the drug to nonfederally funded researchers, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said. A spokesman said supplies of marijuana grown in controlled plots at the University of Mississippi would be made available to "bona fide" researchers studying its medical effects. An HHS program has provided free marijuana to researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Inspections of more than 1,000 Boeing 727 passenger jets registered to US carriers were ordered by the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA said it acted after two 727s were found with damaged wires - possibly from years of vibration - that could cause a fire or explosion. FAA directives usually are followed by aviation authorities in other countries. Another 380 of the 727s are thought to be registered to foreign airlines.

"Nuanced acting" won Susan Lucci her first television Emmy award in 19 tries for her role in the daytime series "All My Children." In explaining their decision to award her the best actress trophy, judges said Lucci "finally got it right" in submitting examples of her work that didn't show "histrionic, over-the-top performances."